War On Terror News

“Walk Off The War” Program

“In 1948 Earl Shaffer told a friend he was going to “walk off the war” to work out the sights, sounds, and losses of World War II. Four months later, Earl Shaffer became the first person to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.” …….WarriorHike.com

 

Mark and Sean had begun planning their next mission before they even finished their tour with the Marine Corps.  Little did they know that it would lead to the “Walk Off The War” Program, a program designed to help veterans transition from military service back to civilian life.

Benghazi updates

For the most recent developments in the Benghazi terrorist attack coverup: http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=32593 . Jonn has done a great job in covering this, and it's worth a look back if you haven't been following it.

Strong memories of War aren't all bad

Nathan Webster, a Veteran of Desert Storm, has graduated into a successful career using his command of English and photography for good.  After embedding 3x in Iraq, he now teaches English to University Students in New Hampshire, and educates readers of the NyTimes on the reality of Combat Veterans.  In a refreshing change, readers there are learning that little things can remind Veterans of simpler times, in Iraq, like Rip-Its, or Honey Buns.

Stop in and say hello.

Can Left-Wing Terrorist, Brett Kimberlin, Change His Spots?

Brett Kimberlin, convicted serial bomber/terrorist has issued threats to a well known blogger sufficiently serious and believable that said blogger, Stacy McCain, has abandoned his home and gone into hiding to protect his family.  The left wing terrorist doesn't seem to like that his past convictions and current left-wing benefactors were made public, again.

Kimberlin has been convicted of drug running and acts of terrorism, caught red-handed with timers and detonators for explosives as well as with 5 and a half tons of drugs on his family's property and in a trans-national shipment.  He has been convicted on perjury charges as well.  He was suspected in a murder case of a grandmother who was suspicious that her minor granddaughter was a victim in an illicit relationship with Kimberlin.

Family Matters Blog: Website helps kids on the move

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (5/2/12) – It’s that time of year again when so many military families are starting their relocation plans – and dealing with the fallout from kids who would rather stay put.

As a parent of young children, I often think if I ever want a change of scenery, i.e., moving to a new area, I have a window of opportunity – before the kids become teenagers. That’s because I remember vividly my own 14-year-old inner voice screaming “no way, not now, not ever” at the slightest hint that my parents might upend my comfort zone with a move. But I don’t have the weight of the U.S. military behind me, and they didn’t either.

Military kids don’t have that luxury of influencing a family’s decision to move, which is among the many reasons the Defense Department deemed April the Month of the Military Child – to celebrate military children’s shared sacrifice for the nation.

While even one relocation is traumatic for most teens, military kids have done it multiple times. But that doesn’t necessarily make it easier, as Karen Morgan knows firsthand.

Morgan is a senior program analyst with the department’s Military Community and Family Policy office in the Pentagon. But she also was a Marine Corps wife for 25 years, and the couple has two children.

“Moving anywhere can be traumatic for anyone, but it’s doubly traumatic with kids,” she told me recently.

Morgan mostly remembers their relocations fondly – as a family bonding experience, and a chance to experience new areas together. But there were hard times, too, like when they moved in the summer and couldn’t find other children to play with, and when their daughter left for college in Virginia while they still were stationed in Okinawa.

Now Morgan uses those experiences to give insight into a DOD website designed to help military kids with their parents’ many relocations. Military Youth on the Move has tabs for teens, pre-teens, and younger kids to help with everything from preparing for college, to dating, to making new friends.

There is a “Moving Out” section with advice on packing, saying ‘goodbye,’ and keeping in touch, and a “Get Help” tab offers advice on dealing with a parent’s deployment, divorce, and bullying.

Moving is never easy, but sites like Military Youth on the Move certainly help.

MoH Recipient Dakota Meyer, USMC, Starts MilBlog

It was less than a year ago, when we reported that former US Marine Dakota Meyer would be presented the Medal of Honor.  He is a Kentucky native, and based on the stories his teachers and coaches told, it didn't surprise me that he would go on to Valor in the US Marine Corps. 

Today, we're proud to announce he has started a MilBlog.  His first post doesn't surprise me a bit.  It demonstrates how things are done in the South.  His neighbors suffered a hardship, so he rounded up 3 friends and is heading to their town to help them out.

So, stop in and tell him hello.  Welcome him to the blogosphere, but remember this is just how things are done in the area.  We help our neighbors on a bad day.

Commander Colleen Brings You: The Camoflauge Keyboard

Have you wondered what life on a FOB in Afghanistan is like?  There's a MilBlog for that!

This isn't the sexy combat type of MilBlog, but rather the kind that tells of the everyday frustrations of living in a cold, dusty environment, where not even showers or toilets are to be taken for granted.

"If you've never heard of Navy showers, try this next time you shower: get in, turn on the water long enough to get wet, and turn the water off. Wash everything you intend to: hair, body, face. Then, turn the water on just long enough to rinse."

Of course, first you have to leave your warm abode and walk to the showers, outside in the cold.

"It's a half mile walk to the Green Bean (think Starbucks), which isn't so fun in the cold. And with the snow/slush/refrozen ice, walking is rather perilous."

Why's she telling you about the walk to the coffee shop?  Because that is where the internet connection is.  It's not the only connection, but the at the last one:

"I once sat on the floor in the corner to try to upload classwork. And the USO always seemed to be 10 degrees too hot."

What she's careful to avoid are OPSEC issues, but that doesn't mean that work can't ever pop up:

"Not a word is said about changes before or after they happen. They just happen. Having studied psychology and sociology in college, I'm attuned to this social interaction, the intricate dance of how total strangers become a working team."

You never know who you'll run into on the other side of the world:

"A good friend from high school is here with his National Guard unit. We hadn't seen each other for 20 years, and had a good time catching up over dinner."

Drop by and take a look to see what life on a FOB is like.

Portraits of Honour - The Faces

From ThankASoldier

The Faces - Written by Dan Gray
Video - Courtesy of the Canadian Heroes FB page
Music - Instrument version of My Hero by Foo Fighters

Welcome Home Iowa Guard!

Homecoming in Boone: Iowa Guard soldiers return from Afghanistan

Jul 14, 2011 | by Josh Hafner

Capt. Corey Langman of Waukee kisses his daughter, Sophie, 9 months, during a homecoming ceremony Thursday at Boone High School for about 85 soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard. It was only the second time Langman had seen his daughter, due to his deployment.

About 85 members of the Iowa Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company ended their yearlong deployment in Afghanistan and reunited with loved ones during a homecoming ceremony in the Boone High School gym.

Geneva Templeton, of Ames, got a seat in the gymnasium’s first row with her 2-year-old son, Chase, on her lap. The boy patiently held a blue balloon in his hand for his father, Sgt. First Class B.J. Templeton. Chase has gone half of his young life without his father.

Greetings From Afghanistan, Send More Ammo: Dispatches from Taliban Country by Benjamin Tupper

Greetings From Baghdad is about the experiences of Captain Benjamin Tupper, a member of an ETT (Embedded Training Teams) with the U.S. Army.

"I was in Afghanistan as a civilian with an NGO called Afghans4Tomorrow, but the sense of outrage that I felt witnessing firsthand what the Taliban had done was so profound, I needed to be more involved fighting them.  Two years later, I would return to Afghanistan as a soldier."

After reading most of this book it struck me as being rather disjointed.  It seemed more like a collection of stories, much like the "Chicken Soup" series of books.  I had failed to fully read the jacket cover before starting the book itself.  [I seldom read reviews of a book prior to reading it.  I like to form my own opinion about the book as I read it for the first time. ]  Had I done so, in this case, I would have realized that these "essays" were actual posts from the author's blog.  A blog that was started while he was in country [Afghanistan].

No pencil eraser for social media mistakes

Commentary by Tech. Sgt. Barbara Plante
944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

6/28/2011 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- In February 2010, Pentagon officials authorized using social networks on unclassified military computers. They believe the benefits of social media outweigh security concerns.
However, operational security has always been a military constant and that has not diminished with the advent of social media. If anything, OPSEC has become more important because of what we can say and where we can say it.

Loose lips and unchecked gossip on social media sites can bring down social media pages and have the potential to harm military operations and missions, as Sailors and Marines serving aboard the amphibious assault ship Bataan learned in May 2011. Escalating arguments and "the airing of dirty laundry" led Fleet Forces Command to shut down the ship's official Facebook page, citing OPSEC concerns.

CSM Vanguard is Back!

The Command Sergeant Major (retired) has gone farther, done more, and given more than most.  He's tenancious, resolute, and stubbornly independent.  In short, he has "been there, done that."  You may be able to kick him, but you won't be able to keep him down.  He may be quiet for a spell, but it's not because he's been silenced.  He speaks on his terms, with his own mind, at the time of his own choosing.

Of course, he's still linking to our old url, but it'll still bring you back here, if it's a story you want to read.

CSM Vanguard a helluvan NCO and Warrior, who has led the best (SFC Smith) and dealt with the worst (Adam Kokesh).  He's pushed through more than most could fathom.  He calls it straight, as he sees it.  And with today's short term American memory, it would be good for people to hear the part of history he influenced.  It would be good for the youth of today's Army, and for the politicians who claim we won't ever fight a war against an amassed Army to hear again, how just 8 years ago, we were doing just that.  It would do them good to hear how one Senior NCO held the line against Saddam's Army, at the Baghdad International Airport.

But don't stop in unless you can appreciate someone who'll tell you what he really thinks.  And if you need it sugarcoated, you probably ought not read his site.

Libya: Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros RIP

Early yesterday morning, Twitter and FaceBook started echoing across the world that two tireless champions of the oppressed had been killed by mortar fire on one of the most dangerous roads in Libya.

 

 

Tim Hetherington in Liberia 2003

Panos Pictures

Tim Hetherington, British born, Oxford educated, was an award winning photojournalist. 

The first msm to pick up the story yesterday morning was Business Insider, but as the morning wore on, more msm got wind of the unbelievable news.

From the BBC to Vanity Fair, and every corner of the globe in between, shock and disbelief as long-time colleagues, casual acquaintances, and strangers who felt they knew Tim through his amazing work, both as an intrepid story teller, to an ardent, committed film-maker, all desperately looked for confirmation that the news trickling out of Libya was incorrect. As the day wore on, it became clear that the fog of civil war that is Tripoli Road,  the voiceless of the world, had silenced two important voices.

A Success Story & Limited Opportunity for Picture History of Iraqi History

A few weeks back, Nathan Webster launched a site under the WOTN umbrella.  We call it our outreach program.  I set up the site and it has a War On Terror News url, but the site and the content are his.  He has a nice start on readership and is doing great with posting new content on a regular basis from his embedded tours with Troops in Iraq from 2007 to 2009.

More to the point of this success story is that his goal to publish a limited run of his work in a quality book, is now funded.  It is a pictorial history of the surge to success period in Iraq and hopefully this run will turn into a publisher seeing the value of his work towards the history of Iraq and the Troops that made it possible.  This is an initial success but there is still time (about a week and a half) if you'd like to secure a copy of the book that may never get onto bookstore shelves.  It's your choice and there are examples of his work on his site, but a pledge in these last couple of weeks comes with no risk of a broken heart.  Before, the risk was only a broken heart but no risk of lost money.  (Don't blame me if he says something you don't like.  There is no editorial review of his posts.  Those are his words and his articles, alone.)

And this is not a WOTN success story, but a Nathan Webster success story.  All we've done is give him a little publicity and a place to tell his part of the story that is Iraq.  He did all the real work.  He embedded.  He took the pictures and he wrote the stories that went with the pictures.  He set up the kickstarter account and it was his friends and the Troops that pledged the money to get the book published, along with the money he put up.

So what's my angle?  I'm not getting any commissions on this project.  But I do get the joy of seeing a Veteran and Embedded Photo Journalist that is doing it right, succeed in telling his story, or rather the Soldiers of whom he captured in pictures, securing Freedom for us and for Iraqis.  It costs me nothing but I do get the warm fuzzy at seeing him succeed, and knowing that this part of history is one step closer to being available to the world, and that in the short term it is available to interested parties as a potentially exclusive piece of history, with his autograph gracing it.

Communication: 420 characters or less

Commentary by 1st Lt. Brooke Brzozowske
Chief, 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs

3/8/2011 - F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFNS) -- I once had a supervisor ask me why I felt the need to post a certain status update on Facebook.

It only took a few seconds with my mouth open and a blank stare on my face for me to realize, well, I didn't know how to respond to him. My job as a public affairs, communications expert did not prepare me for this simple question: "Why?"

How could I possibly communicate this decision to my boss, who has children my age, why exactly I felt the need to vent (what I thought) a fair frustration on my wall. This was going to take some thought. So I begin...

Our generation is infamous for its self-entitled nature. That is MY wall, and MY thoughts. Why shouldn't I be able to share them? Why should my leadership have a say in my PERSONAL time, sought out via social networks?

The Grog News

 
There was a short discussion a long time ago about adding a gaming component to WOTN.  It didn't work out and wasn't a very long discussion, mainly because I don't know a lot about gaming, though I do think the latest controllers for video games (personal movements) are the best thing that ever happened in that field.  (Can't tell you how well they work, since I've never used a Wii or PS3?)

Today, I found a new site, that seems more focused on war board games than the other issues it also discusses (military/war news), in a very informed manner.  I don't see much about video games, but they seem to have a handle on how war gaming and military planning can intersect.  A snippet from what may be a standard topic there:

Random Friday Wargaming: Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001-?

"Guardian keeps promising us a review of this one, and some day we'll run it as an event at Origins. For now, revel in the glory that is Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001-?, a fantastic game from GMT about very current events."  Read the rest there, and explore the site to see if it's your cup of tea.

A Mission to Publish Iraq History in Pics

I've already told you about Nathan Webster, a Desert Storm Veteran, turned embedded photojournalist in Iraq.

Introducing Nathan S Webster, Photographer of Our Troops

via waronterrornews.typepad.com/cgtwa/

"Just a few hundred yards from the Tigris River, the mission took place during a hot morning, probably 110 degrees by 8 a.m. Iraq soldiers searched an unused compound close to the dirt river road, while Vergo positioned his two men in one corner. They all stayed out of the creeping sun."
"Sometimes there's a cool breeze, out by the river,” Pfc. Walter Grochwina says to the other, Pfc. Nick Knickerbocker, as both kneel and sweat in the dirt and dust.

“Haven't felt a breeze today,” Knickerbocker says."

Read the rest at "Can't Give This War Away," the newest addition to the WOTN outreach program.  Nathan Webster is a photographer, a Desert Storm Veteran, and embedded with the US Army in Iraq from 2007-2009.  He is currently attempting to attain sufficient pledges of financial backing to print a limited number of books of his work.  It won't take much to get the initial printing done, and it will put it on the road to adding a great book about Our Troops on Coffee Tables across America.  Check him out and take a look at his work. Remember to subscribe to his email subscription, so that you will know when his stories come out.  But don't blame me if he gives different opinions of things.  I don't limit his speech.

MilBlog Conference 2011

JP is described by some as the Granddaddy of MilBloggers.  Wikipedia says he coined the term.  He is many things, but most of all a great resource for those looking for MilBlogs, or how to make a MilBlog successful.  And he's a nice guy.  And he's the force behind the annual MilBloggers Conference.  There are others, but I don't know them.  So, this may be of interest to you, if you have or plan to have a MilBlog.  I've threatened to send a cardboard cutout of our iconic cartoon, but I'm just too worried it'll be molested:

A new website for the Official Milblog Conference, held annually since 2006, has been launched. 

The website, located at milblogconference.milblogging.com, packs a great deal of information in one place, making it easy to stay updated on all the latest Milblog Conference news and events.

Find out everything from registration and the agenda, to speakers and becoming a sponsor.

The website even has its own blog, to keep you informed before, during, and after the conference which is taking place this April. 

Registration is now open.  JP of Milblogging.com sends.

And if you're a reporter that covers the military, or an editor looking for a reporter to cover the war, this might be something for you as well.

How Your #2 Pencil Can Save Afghanistan!

If you could do something to help an Afghan girl learn to read, would you?  If you understood that Afghan literacy is a key to long term peace and prosperity, would that make a difference in whether you gave a little girl a pencil?  While American children want the latest X-Box or the games that go with it, in many parts of the world, children are ecstatic to get a common #2 lead pencil.  They're happy with a piece of hard candy, but as convoys pass or Troops approach, one of the most common signs is an index finger to the palm of the hand, asking for a pencil.

This was the matter of discussion between myself and a teammate more than once.  As the least educated on the team, I was interested on teammates thoughts on the rocks (one guy was a specialist in the things and he hated when I called crushed stone, "gravel," so I did it often), or in this case a PhD candidate's observations on Afghan kids' desire for self-expression. 

He noted that kids everywhere just want to be able to express themselves.  It was certainly better than my niece's use of the walls of the house as her personal canvas to her permanent markers at a young age. I had a ready source for pencils and would get 500 pack boxes of the prize of Afghan kids, every few mail runs.  The phenomenon is discussed in a "Time Machine" article from 2009.

The fact is that something as simple as school supplies can change the future of Afghanistan, as well as improve relations between Afghans and American Troops.  Those old unused school supplies you have, the old backpacks in your closets, can make a positive difference in the lives of kids that have toys no more expensive than the rocks they find in the desert.  And a Senior Master Sergeant in the Air Force teamed up with his Professor wife to start not just a program to help you help Afghan kids, but got Florida College Kids involved in the effort.  I can't even imagine a downside to this program.

Overview of the Saga of Michael Yon

"To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men." Abraham Lincoln?

I hope with this overview of the Michael Yon Saga, I can wash my hands of him.  I have no doubt he'll try to spark new controversies, and there will always be a question of whether it is better to ignore the attention whore, or to apply the attention his bad behavior warrants.  I didn't undertake this series lightly, but the record had to be corrected.  I will not allow him to dictate my actions via bullying nor threats.

But Yon has an international audience, and by his own standard, he should be debunked.

Can You Handle What You Are Dishing Out?

With today's instant access a large amount of our communications are changing over to emails and text messaging.  We even will hold forth on blogs about everything from A-Z.  There currently is a great debate or maybe I should call it a War On Words going on between a photojournalist, several blogs, a news site and their fans.

Tempers have flared, language at one blog was so vile that I refused to read all the comments and wondered if I should wash my eyes out with soap.  To be fair, the crude remarks were started within the blog post itself.

I wasn't paying much attention to it at all, until I began receiving emails

Banned by Yon!

Or as Yon would say a "milkook."  This was a surprising but quick moving development which put me in a small club of very respected Veterans on the web.  CJ Grisham and Troy Steward are some of the plankholders in the club of 14.  But the real question anyone must ask is "why?"  If you do a site search here, you'll find few if any other references to Yon, though I've been aware of him for some time.

This is the reason Yon originally stated for his decision to discredit me:

"Thank you for pointing out that you'll take a fraudulent "Uncle Jimbo" even when the truth stares you in the face. This shows that WOTN should be added to the category of quacks." January 21, 2011 at 07:13 PM

What does this new status mean to me and the readers here?  To me, there is basically no impact at all.  I wasn't prone to reading Yon, nor commenting.  I don't have his book and don't plan to buy it.  I will not ask readers here to stop reading his words, nor to begin harassing him.  On the other hand, Yon has asked his readers to do an all out search for me, and to end any connection.  You're adults, almost exclusively, so the choice is yours.

Video: Airborne Ops

Possibly the best Airborne video I've seen yet, at least in the vein of mass attack Airborne ops.  It has it all: PLF's, Proper exits of the aircraft, and silk filled skies.

It doesn't have any combat ops.  It is all about the process of just the jump.  H/T to Army Paratrooper Organization where they offer a non-Politically Correct environment for the young and old to discuss all things paratrooper and a few things not.  If you want the real scoop on what life as a Paratrooper would be like, stop in, say hello, and explore a world few would dare.  If your life's desire includes pinning on the silver wings, they'll even hook you up with a mentor to get you in shape.

Rumor Doctor Gets it Wrong On Teufelhunden

It's good to have a smart man in the room, but sometimes the smartest man in the world is going to be wrong.  Sometimes, research proves faulty or incomplete.  With that said, I'm not going to attempt to identify who first used the term Teufelhunden or Devil Dogs, but I will point out that if one mistranslates the English or the English meaning that the German translation will also be wrong.

I came across the story at TAH, but followed the link to the "Rumor Doctor" to find out how he came to the wrong translation.  Then I looked for my English-German Dictionary to make sure I wasn't wrong.  When I didn't find it, I looked one up online.  The online dictionary produced no results for "Teufelhunden," "Devil Dog," "Devil Dogs," etc. It suggested looking up the component words "Devil" or "Dog."

A second online dictionary produced similar results, but also afforded "online translation."  It translated "Devil Dogs" as Teufel-Hunde, which demonstrates the challenge of computer based translators as there should be no hyphen.  If you instead enter "with Devil Dogs" it translates it as "mit Teufel-Hunden," where the error is simply the hyphen.  It translated "Devil's Dog" as "Hund des Teufels" which is the long form of the name the Rumor Doctor gave.

An American Woman's Afghan Rewards for Helping

A new discovery for me is this blog by Susanne, who is working in the medical field for Non-Profits.  An excerpt:

"I felt the first tinge of pain in my heart as women, many appearing elderly, many more carrying tiny babies bundled in the traditional scarf called a shemagh, most in blue burkhas, begged us for help. I couldn't help but wonder about their stories, and could only imagine the horrors and deprivations they have witnessed over the span of their lifetimes. As I fought back tears, we refocused on the visit at hand, and..."  You'll have to read the rest at One Life to Give.

Read and comment your thoughts.  This is one of those undiscovered great blogs I love to find and you deserve to know about.

Imprisoned Veteran Returns Home from UAE

When an Army Veteran found himself detained and imprisoned in an Arab country, Kristina led the charge to have him released back to the United States.  Her efforts have seen fruition: Words For Warriors.

UAE Court Suspends Sentence for US Military Contractor

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 VOA News A U.S. military contractor held for more than two months in the United Arab Emirates for carrying weapons accessories has received a suspended jail term and a $4,000 fine.

A judge at a UAE security court on Monday told the contractor, Nicholas Moody, he is free to go but that he will serve a three-month jail term if arrested again. Moody said during the court proceeding that he will be back in the United States soon. He was previously released from prison on bail.

Marine Portrays Deployment Via Video Blog

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs

12.07.2010 Story by Elaine Wilson WASHINGTON - When Marine Corps Cpl. Bryan Lett deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year, he decided to create a video blog of his life on the ground there so his family could share in his experiences.

He never imagined he'd gain a worldwide audience in the process.

Although he's back in the United States now, The Afghan Blog, located at

Veteran On Trial in Abu Dhabi

Imagine, you're on the way home from life in a combat zone, traveling through a foreign country, when security pulls you aside and sends you to jail.  The charge is transporting weapons paraphernalia.  It's not a weapon.  It's not ammunition.  It's pistol grips.

Imagine it's your son.  Sound like a movie?  It's not.  It's the real story of Nick Moody.  Kristina Divine has been on it since the beginning and there is something you can do to help.

The Birth of a Marine Story

A new addition to the blogroll is that of a Blue Star Family that has restarted their site with a new purpose:

"The bus door opened, a DI got on, and after telling us that we had arrived a Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, started to yell out "Get off of the bus and get on my yellow footprints!""  PFC Andrews

So starts the saga of an American Citizen becoming a Marine.  The process will take some 3 months but you'll get the benefit of coming aboard after the recruit has finished the initial training.

U.S. Army National Training Center, Fort Irwin California

Fort Irwin & the National Training Center is a world class training center for America's Military, known for its excellent desert training, vast recreational opportunities, and history.  The mission of the National Training Center is to provide tough, realistic, joint and combined arms training in multi-national venues across the full spectrum of conflict set in a contemporary operating environment to assist Commanders in developing trained, competent leaders and Soldiers by presenting them with current problem sets to improve the force and prepare for success in the Global War on Terrorism and future joint battlefields.
Source

Our Million Hit Milestone

Milestones afford me the opportunity to brag a little.  I try not to do it often, but every now and then I guess it's warranted.  Hits alone are not success, but they are a measure of how many people are getting the message.  While today marks our 1 Million Mark, October 16th, 2010 marks our highest readership in a 30 day period and October 17th was on the heels of it, with 95,800 hits in the previous 30 days.  (No I can't say exactly who the 1 Millionth hit belongs to.)

There are approximately 40,000 sites that get more US hits each month than do we, as measured by Quantcast, which is the best index I have found of audience profiles of sites.  Quantcast tells me that our readers are better educated than the average internet user and that is reflected in their income levels.  They measure more than a Million sites, with a primary focus of allowing advertisers to find the audience they're targeting.  See our "Who reads this site" page for updated stats, embedded from Quantcast.

Our most popular item is the daily War In Afghanistan News and the Afghanistan Category overall.  This has led directly to the swell in subscriptions which currently rest around the 700 mark, particularly email subscriptions.  That's a point of pride for me, as it indicates more people are interested in and getting the rest of the story.  We're reporting what the MSM won't, the hard fought Victories of Our Troops.  It is our contention that if Our Citizens know the truth, they will Support Our Warriors fighting for their safety, security, and freedoms.

If you are as disappointed in the MSM as I am, we encourage you to link to stories from the new media instead of the MSM.  They have complained for years that the internet is taking away their customers, but they don't recognize that it is their content that is the issue.  Whether it is our site or another, reward those reporting the rest of the story that you want America to know.  Eventually, they'll get the message that you want the whole story, not just a friendly body count.  Or they will find a strong competitor with less overhead and more objective story.  Send the newsletter to your representatives, to let them know that you know the rest of the story.

Do You HaveYour "Patriotic Flair" On?

Yesterday I checked in at Red Bull Rising and realized I had missed a post.  This is the best thing I have seen on the blogs in a long while. 

The post "5 Ways to Display Your Patriotic Flair" takes a new look at a very well discussed topic among military supporters, military families and friends.

Defense Department Launches 'Lessons Learned' Blog

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
By Lee McMahon

08.02.2010  WASHINGTON - For anyone who has served in the U.S. military, whether in uniform or as a family member, the concept of sharing lessons learned is a familiar one. A new Defense Department blog that launches today seeks to bring those lessons to an accessible online platform.

Titled "In Their Own Words: Lessons Learned in Today's Military," the blog aims to provide a platform for servicemembers, veterans and families to share their thoughts and experiences on a variety of topics. Each month, the blog will feature a different topic ranging from lessons from multiple deployments to lessons from the military family.

As a first topic, "In Their Own Words" features female servicemembers

The Wife of a Soldier

Posted by Sharon Murphy, Army Wife

June 18, 2010 Sharon was inspired to submit this poem to DCoE after reading Sgt. Lenihan’s poem. We hope this helps military families; you are not alone.

Photo credit: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Liesl Marelli, Colorado Army National Guard.

“My husband was on active duty for nearly 22 years, and has been retired for two. He was away for approximately half of the time. We used to joke on our 15th, 18th anniversaries that we had only celebrated two of them together, so we were really only celebrating our 3rd or 4th. He has missed much of his three daughters’ milestones and lives. When our first baby died in utero, they brought him in from the field, all grubby and smelly and covered in greasy sweaty cammo, still hung with all his weapons and gear. I was

Happy Birthday US Flag

The Anniversary of the 50 Star American Flag

Did you know July 4, 2010 will mark the 50^th year of the 50 Star US flag?

For the history of the newest design, the designer, the President who selected the design, where it first flew and when, please see the article linked above.

Coincidently, my own US Flag has flown in multiple countries of 5 continents over the last decade!

 

So You Wanna Become a Marine?

How hard is that?  Depending on the person, it could be anywhere from challenging to downright impossible depending on the person, their attitude and what they have done with themselves before stepping thru that recruiter's doorway.

Before you open that door, before you step over that threshold into a different world, perhaps you had better visit this site.

Milestones & Memories

It was just over two years ago, when this iteration of the War On Terror News was started, with an invitation to five others to join in the effort.  The previous site had its advantages, but seemed to come up short of my expectations, most notably in that I could not invite others to contribute.  I had connected with a bit under 100 good people there and still have a site at multiply where I say hello to them from time to time.

Ms Marti is the sole remaining contributor of those five that agreed to join me here.  She's a motivator with a great deal of experience working with stubborn little kids and that may be why she is able to put up with me.  In those early days, we may have gotten excited over the record daily hits of each of us checking to make sure the site was still there, but eventually we did something right and we can certainly say that we've reached many others these days.

There are various ways to measure success and not all of those ways necessarily are true measures of it.  A little over a year ago, I was offered the opportunity to chat with some of the best known names in milblogging.  I hoped I could be enlightened as to what had caused them success and shared what factors I thought had gotten us to where we had gotten. 

A Conspiracy Under Every Rock

It sparked mixed feelings when I noted that a "progressive" "news" website had linked to one of our stories, as evidence of wrongdoing by Our Troops.  The site boasts 1.5 million viewers a month and 7.5 million hits, but offers no proof of this great readership.  As the day went on, I noted the exact same story posted to other "progressive" sites, again listing our article as evidencethat Our Troops and General McChrystal himself were involved in a coverup. 

I sat back, anticipating a tirade of comments preceded by a host of hits from the exact type of story that our newsite was created to counter.  The article, its author, and the sites involved ignore the fact that the enemy we fight intentionally murders unarmed civilians, as a matter of standard policy.  They focus instead on a few incidents where the fog of war, the actions of the enemy, or the actions of the dead caused Our Troops to fire upon persons later found to be without weapons, or without many weapons.

As the hits trickled in from the link to the "evidence," I pondered what would cause these huge sites with incredible readership to be unable to influence their readers to check out the sites they had found to be so important to their argument.  Were the numbers claimed inflated?  Were the readers such blind believers that evidence wasn't required to be checked?